No train fare hike for now: Railway minister
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
January 29, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2023
No train fare hike for now: Railway minister

Transport

TBS Report
13 November, 2021, 05:20 pm
Last modified: 13 November, 2021, 10:16 pm

Related News

  • Tejgaon business hub: Everything to be within walking distance from transport points
  • Bangladesh Railway’s digital ambitions remain elusive
  • Railway to buy 290 container wagons for freight services thru’ Padma Bridge
  • 4 CU students sit-in at Ctg rail station to protest railway mismanagement
  • Bangladesh mulls importing train coaches from India

No train fare hike for now: Railway minister

Decision will not benefit exporters or importers, industry insiders say

TBS Report
13 November, 2021, 05:20 pm
Last modified: 13 November, 2021, 10:16 pm
Bangladesh train service
Representational Image. Photo: Collected

Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan on Saturday said there would be no hike in train fares, alleviating worries of people who suffered a big blow due to an increase in public bus fares last week.

"We have not taken any decision to increase train fares. We would be thinking of a hike if we were incurring huge losses," he said in response to queries after inaugurating a train stopover at Brahmanbaria station.

Despite being a loss-making concern, Bangladesh Railway (BR) has made clear its decision to not increase fares. The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, on the other hand, hiked fuel prices last week despite making Tk43,000 crore in the last eight years.

At Saturday's event, Sujan further said, "Railway is a service-oriented organisation. We are committed to provide easy and comfortable service to people through the overall development of railways." 

Due to the fuel price hike, the government subsidies for railways will also increase, he also said. 

Dhirendra Nath Mazumder, director general of BR, told The Business Standard that there were no plans to hike train fare now.

In February 2016, train fare was hiked by 7.15% to Tk0.39 per kilometre from Tk0.36 per kilometre.

Due to the hike, train fare on the Dhaka-Chattogram route increased by Tk20 to Tk96 for different types of seats at the time.

Decision won't benefit exporters, importers

The decision to not increase train fares will not be of much benefit to imports and exports, according to industry insiders.

They said that almost all imported and exported goods in the country were transported through road vehicles, such as trucks and covered vans. They, however, welcomed the decision.

According to various reports, the time required to transport container traffic by rail is much longer than by road because of speed restrictions on railways. It takes 16 hours to reach Chattogram port from the inland container depot in Dhaka by rail, 10 hours by road and 18 hours by inland water transport.

At present capacity, BR can carry 25% of container traffic, but it only carries 10% due to operational constraints. Only 2% of the transport budget is allocated to railway transport in Bangladesh and as a result, the infrastructure, performance and productivity lags behind other forms.

Mohammad Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told The Business Standard that most of their products or raw materials were not carried by trains. "It will not be of any particular benefit to us. Truck fares have already risen," he said.

Highlighting data from the Passenger Welfare Association, he said the government may get Tk4,000-5,000 crore a year by raising fuel prices. But by increasing transport fares, the owners "would loot Tk73,000 crore a year".

Solaiman Parsee, an importer of pipe and tube well products, also leader of the Bangladesh Pipe and Tubewell Merchants Association, said their imports were brought from the port by trucks and not railways.

"The decision not to raise fares will not help us in any way," he told The Business Standard. "Bringing through rail is more of a hassle for us. However, those whose goods come by rail may get some benefits."

Brahmanbaria station reopens

Train operations in Brahmanbaria station resumed Saturday after eight months since it was vandalised by miscreants on 26 March.

Miscreants had set fire to the station master's room, operating room, VIP room, chief booking assistant's room, the ticket counter, signaling equipment, including the panel board, the level crossing gate and other installations.

All intercity trains were canceled at the station after the day of the incident.

Md Nurul Islam Sujan said the fires caused a loss of Tk2.5crore to Bangladesh Railway.

He said from now 14 inter-city, six mail and four commuter trains will make stopovers at Brahmanbaria station. 

Among others, Md Salim Reza, secretary at the Ministry of Railways, also spoke at the programme.

Bangladesh / Top News

Bangladesh Railways / train fares

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Import slowdown to affect economic growth: ADB country head
    Import slowdown to affect economic growth: ADB country head
  • Photo: Collected
    Foreign loan pledges fall 60% in H1  
  • Debapriya Bhattacharya. Illustration: TBS
    Business leaders' role in corruption is also questionable: Debapriya

MOST VIEWED

  • No new roads before national election: Obaidul Quader
    No new roads before national election: Obaidul Quader
  • Photo: TBS
    Transport strike in Sylhet from Monday to demand release of Chhatra Dal leader
  • Metro Rail project will bridge the gap between time loss and economic development. Photo: Rajib Dhar
    Metro rail to be operational till 5pm on Sunday for Ijtema
  • File Photo
    GMP issues traffic directives to reduce sufferings of Ijtema devotees
  • WB considering aid to Dhaka-Ctg high-speed train, 4 more projects
    WB considering aid to Dhaka-Ctg high-speed train, 4 more projects
  • One step closer to relocation of Dhaka bus terminals
    One step closer to relocation of Dhaka bus terminals

Related News

  • Tejgaon business hub: Everything to be within walking distance from transport points
  • Bangladesh Railway’s digital ambitions remain elusive
  • Railway to buy 290 container wagons for freight services thru’ Padma Bridge
  • 4 CU students sit-in at Ctg rail station to protest railway mismanagement
  • Bangladesh mulls importing train coaches from India

Features

Nandita Sharmin's journey to give organic skincare a new identity

Nandita Sharmin's journey to give organic skincare a new identity

9h | Mode
Illustration: TBS

'The silver lining is that the worst is sort of behind us': Hamid Rashid, UN economist

13h | Panorama
Photo: Bloomberg

BuzzFeed and AI are a match made in fad city

12h | Panorama
Snipe in flight. Photo: Enam Ul Haque

Baikka Beel: 'A world where snipe work late'

1d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Sarika Sabrin is waiting for a good film

Sarika Sabrin is waiting for a good film

3h | TBS Entertainment
Take your football game to the next level at Next Level academy

Take your football game to the next level at Next Level academy

4h | TBS SPORTS
“Investments risky without consistent policy, reliable data”- SK Bashir Uddin

“Investments risky without consistent policy, reliable data”- SK Bashir Uddin

5h | TBS Round Table
What does Shahrukh has in his 770 million dollar property?

What does Shahrukh has in his 770 million dollar property?

1d | TBS Entertainment

Most Read

1
Picture: Collected
Bangladesh

US Embassy condemns recent incidents of visa fraud

2
Illustration: TBS
Banking

16 banks at risk of capital shortfall if top 3 borrowers default

3
Photo: Collected
Splash

Hansal Mehta responds as Twitter user calls him 'shameless' for making Faraaz

4
A frozen Beyond Burger plant-based patty. Photographer: AKIRA for Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Special

Fake meat was supposed to save the world. It became just another fad

5
Bapex calls candidates for job test 9 years after advert!
Bangladesh

Bapex calls candidates for job test 9 years after advert!

6
Representational Image
Banking

Cash-strapped Islami, Al-Arafah and National turn to Sonali Bank for costly fund

EMAIL US
[email protected]
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - [email protected]

For advertisement- [email protected]